The Debt Deal Threatens to Put a Hurting on Food Safety

The breadth and reach of the FDA and the USDA seemed to increase upon passage of the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act in January. The measure overhauled the nation's food safety system by giving the FDA power to recall tainted food and a host of other duties.

But though the FDA was given more power, they may not be allotted the funds to back it up. What does that mean for food safety? It means that the rules may be stricter and at times, harsher, but enforcement must take a backseat. Food Safety News recently reported on how the debt deal will take its toll on both the FDA and the USDA.

According to Food Safety News:

"I don't see [FDA] going above flat line at best ... which is effectively a cut," says food safety consultant David Acheson, who served as associate commissioner of foods at FDA under the Bush administration. "FDA will likely stay on track with the [Food Safety Modernization Act] rule writing, but enforcement will be compromised as will the inspection mandates."

This comes on the heels of a bad week in food safety. The latest in a growing trend of drug resistant outbreaks is tied to ground turkey and as a result, 36 million pounds of Cargill turkey products were recalled. The Centers for Disease Control said that Salmonella Heidelberg, as it's named, showed resistance to multiple antibiotic treatments. The sickness spread across numerous states including California, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The recalls keep getting bigger and harder to control because providers are now so vast and many strains are resistant to traditional treatments.

"[J]ust the latest example of the tremendous impact that just one large plant can have on national public safety when something goes wrong," said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch. "As Congress gets ready to debate funding for federal agencies, this recall is a timely reminder of how vital public health programs like meat and poultry inspection and foodborne illness surveillance are to all of us."

There's no easy answer to the issues at hand except the hope that the FDA isn't in over its head forcing changes that it doesn't have the staffing to enforce.

The Alliance for a Stronger FDA tells Food Safety News:

The agency would likely fare better than under the House-passed agriculture appropriations bill. The House measure called for $285 million in cuts to the agency for fiscal year 2012, an 11 percent cut, $87 million of the reduction would come from food safety.

Now is as good a time as ever to evaluate where your food comes from. How much of your diet is sourced from factory farms where it's difficult to know how your food was handled before it got to you? Do you choose farms that take pride in their work and utilize the best practices to keep your food safe? Are they small enough that when there are food safety issues the impact isn't as widespread and mistakes don't impact the entire nation?

Like this? Follow my Twitter feed.

Follow me on Facebook.